I truly enjoyed reading these 14 stories written by the author, Sandy Ward Bell, stories which don’t embellish the women in them and the triumphs they’ve accomplished.

While these stories are fictional, the fortitude shown by these incredible women are seemingly quite real, real enough to be fictionalized accounts of real events. This has been caused by author’s narratives which paint a vivid image in her reader’s minds of what’s happening as they read each story, as if they’d been the proverbial fly on the wall, not to mention some of the dialogue.

Each story is unique onto itself well compared to the other stories in this collection and is fraught with a myriad of situations and appropriate emotions for each of the protagonists. All in all, in these stories the women are not deemed to be the quiet and demure individuals most of society [men] make them out to be, but the strong and independent individuals as depicted in Helen Reddy’s classical 1971 song “I Am Woman;” the song which became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.

[Chorus]
Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

Like this song, Ms. Bell’s book celebrates the empowerment of women, which is why I chosen to give her 5 STARS for this endeavor. ( )